10 things you might not know about Arshavin

1) Andrei Sergeyevich Arshavin was born in St Petersburg – then called Leningrad – on May 29, 1981.

2) As a schoolboy, he showed great promise as a drafts player before turning his full attention to football.

3) While at university he wrote a thesis on sportswear production, but dismissed his decision to study for a diploma in fashion design as an opportunity to meet girls.

4) As a boy, he fell in love with the Barcelona team coached by Holland legend Johan Cruyff and has previously said moving to the Nou Camp would be his dream.

5) Arshavin made his debut for Zenit St Petersburg when coming on as a substitute against Bradford at Valley Parade on August 2, 2000. The Russians won the InterToto Cup semi-final match 3-0.

6) He scored 71 goals in 310 games for Zenit, while for Russia he has scored 15 in 41 caps. With Zenit he won the Russian Premier League title in 2007, the League Cup in 2003, and the UEFA Cup, European Super Cup and Russian Super Cup in 2008.

7) Individually he has won a number of player of the year awards and was ranked the sixth best player in the world in 2008 for the Ballon d’Or – won by Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.

8 ) Arshavin once stood for local elections in St Petersburg for Vladimir Putin’s United Russia but withdrew his candidacy before a vote was cast.

9) The Communists of St Petersburg group accused Arshavin of being a ‘traitor’ for his desire to leave the country. Berating him for ‘putting up his body for sale for greedy Western clubs’, they warned: ‘If you want to sign for any Western team you will lose your spiritual connection to Mother Russia and Russians will never forgive you.’

10) Arshavin may be on the verge of leaving Zenit, but he stares out from the April page of the club’s official 2009 calendar.

SAVE THE MONEY, PRODUCE RAMSEY AND BUY TWO PLAYERS FOR THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY! We don’t need an attacking midfield now that Diaby is coming back, and Eduardo making a return.

Theo should be ready to come back too. I would rather see them take that money and buy Ireland, make a trade with Toure, and some money and take Ireland. He would be an ideal candidate for our CDM, pick up another cheap defender that can fill the void when the boys are hurt and move on from there. It’s not that hard AW!

Bench you bring in Diaby to replace RVP or Denilson on the Left, Theo will be ready to play on the right, use Vela uptop Nicholas uptop and then use Ramsey for Song/Nasri.

I feel this team is coming together and he just needs to stick it out for a little bit longer with them. Lets see what this team can do against Bolton this weekend and then go.

No Transfers unless it’s multiple players…don’t like the idea of brining in just one.

LAgoonerJanuary 7, 2009

We just need someone t o replace flamini

RisjeJanuary 8, 2009

Arshavin is a good player, but not desperate that we need him, we need a CDM, everybody is saying it. BTW, do all you guys hate Arshavin or something?… yeah we already got alot of attacking player, but Arshavin at Arsenal isnt a problem, he has the skills. The only negative thing I could think of is how to fit all those attacking players in one match, espessially when the injured ones comeback.

RisjeJanuary 8, 2009

Oh and something else, Ireland as a CDM? Are you kidding me? Kompany is the CDM at mancity, who would btw be a good signing for Arsenal, he’s young ,strong, technical and has some attacking ability, if there is someone on mancity that we need then it will be him I think

gogli apparatusJanuary 8, 2009

yes we do need him
why
because he is a player similar to hleb he has vision can dribble and goes in the box when needed to supply passes that need one touch to find goal
we are lacking that classic arsenal goal this year
see how many times it has worked and with a midfield of
rosicky-nasri-fabregas-arshavin and maybe diaby for a 4-5-1 we have the creativtey we need
no we don’t need a cdm we have diaby
hes the next viera you no it you saw look at the replay of his goal against villa
and watch any match he plays in
song needs to be loaned i would like to see him at a team where he gets playing time against the teams of the premier league
buy matthew upson he is great a former arsenal man kolo can go for me willy g is a big presence at the emirates to big of one to let go of
if i could sign someone it would have to be steven ireland the man is young exellent has the makings of the new lampard who can attack and dosent get caught sleeping in the middle of the park hes pure class wenger built a team thats 4 players short of the best in the world we can have average to compete time and time again song denilson need more time to develop that time can go on loan
maybe wenger won’t buy a defender because senderos is coming back in the summer and we have peanut head

RisjeJanuary 8, 2009

Gogli, so your saying that your ideal team at Arsenal would be with Fabregas as CDM (when we are playing without Diaby),and Diaby can be a good CDM, but what about
4-5-1 >>> 1 striker to choose from Van Persie, Eduardo or Adebayor?

gogli apparatusJanuary 8, 2009

risje that was my mistake i meant to say what we could do with a midfield with the likes of fabregas rosicky nasri and arshavin they all have that attacking flair that has been missing this season

KyleJanuary 8, 2009

Dont like arshavin his been yappin for ages to leave zenit whats to stop him wanting to leave arsenal when he is in a foreign country he doesnt like, seems like another helb, we need a centreback and a winger, denilson and diaby can fight it out to sit behind fabregas neither of them have the acceleration or agility to play on the wing and the defence is just a mess

young_gunnerzJanuary 8, 2009

I say we should buy this guy. Arshavin may be just what the team needs! a clinical finisher with a cool head and some one with a . Thierry Henry had a certain guile about him in his best years, untouchable, unstoppable, this is what we lack in the team a standout player. A player who can single handedly turn the game. Mayb Van Persie is that guy but we need som1 with a bigger ego. We cannot rely on Diaby, rosicky or nasri cus these guys are prone to injury. we need som1 else in there and we need it now. Denilson and song are developing quite well and may fill the holding mid. we need goals from midfield. PICTURE A HLEB THAT’S NOT AFRAID TO SHOOT!!!! AND SCORES!!!

USA GunnerJanuary 8, 2009

Where do you play Theo guys? I still think we need him on the right to stretch out the defence and hold the defenders from pushing up.

At first I hated Diaby, but after seeing him start to play some more, I think he will be a good fit.

I like our team as it is, we just need some more depth in the back 4, is it silly to say we could really use Senderous back right about now?

Save the $ Arsene, this would be a nice add on, but I wonder what it would do to the locker room moral?

RisjeJanuary 8, 2009

USA Gunner, your wright, only we could still use the money for a decent signing (CDM for example), and that locker room moral shouldnt be a big problem, bcause, wasnt wenger interested in Arshavin from the beginning of the season?

chijiokeJanuary 8, 2009

are there no other players in world exept flamini

young_gunnerzJanuary 8, 2009

GUYS , WTF??? We need senderos????? Senderos is too slow for the PREM!! Arsenl are famous for using the high back line for the offside trap, and thats y senderos cud not make it aat arsenal he is too slow and prone to do stupid shit. Arsene recognised this and saw that Djorou would make a bettr CB. He is quicker, has bettr feet and uses his body bettr than senderous. he is class and he is younger 2. senderos may make it in Italy where they play at a snail’s pace mayb.

young_gunnerzJanuary 8, 2009

Another thing, Flamini can b replaced with any chap who has two working legs. What ppl fail to recognise is flamini did not hold the arsenal mid by himself. If u should watch last season’s matches u would c that FABREGAS does aloT of the tackling in the Mid and he still does. PPL remember the AC MILAN MATCH…… WHO KEPT KAKA OUT OF THE GAME…????

USA GunnerJanuary 8, 2009

I’m pretty sure Flamini did a very good job of keepign Kaka out of the game. But that’s my opinion. And I would only bring back Senderos as a backup to give the big 4 a break here and there.

I think our team is fine, we just needed some time and a couple of bad loses to realize where we were at. I think we will come out blazing in the new year and will produce a fine team.

Move nasri to the middle, Denilson with him, Ebou on the right, and let Diaby/Ramsey/Wilshire/Vela work the left. Nice and Easy..like I’ve been saying

if we play 4-5-1 i will chose those players firs i will buy a goalkeeper or usmanov will buy all the clum and we have monny to make arsenal the best Team in the world. Firs i will buy a goalkeeper Akinfev, Frey Handanovic of Udinese then a Central Defender Mathey Upson or Jorqu of Espanyol then i will buy a CDM we lost Lass Diarra then I will buy Kompany he can play like CDM or Yaya Toure for 19m euros Lorik Cana of Olimpique of Marseill then Andrei Arshavin the Formation will be Like this Akinfev – Sagna – Toure – Jorque – Clichy – Nasri – Fabregas – Yaya Toure – Cana -Arshavin – RVP and I will sell Adebayor to millan for 35 milion euros if they wonted or I will buy Cavenhagi or Cakmakh of Groninghem Bordox OF France and THIS is arsenal thet im Wondering to have Wenger We can do it with 50 MIlion eouros and sell some players on Loun and sell them All Like Almuni Adebayor on Loan goes Denilson Vela too and this will be are perfect club

daily mailFebruary 3, 2009

u stupid sonofabitch!u took this 10 things about arshavin 4rm our website.u will b hearing 4rm our lawyers and we will b takin the necessary action to put u away 4 a very long time.